Release Detail

February 15, 2006 - Rendell Out Of Gate With 12-Point Lead Over Swann,
Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds;
Few Think Swann Has Experience To Be Gov

Democratic incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell starts his 2006 reelection campaign with a 48 - 36 percent
lead over former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann, the leading Republican challenger in
Pennsylvania, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Only 26 percent of voters say Swann has the right kind of experience to be Governor, with
40 percent who say he doesn't have the experience and 34 percent undecided.

"Republican leaders may have anointed Lynn Swann their candidate for governor, but
Pennsylvania voters are slow to jump on the Swann bandwagon. Despite all the Swann hoopla
in the past month, he has failed to seriously narrow Gov. Rendell's double-digit lead," said
Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Rank and file Republicans appear more reluctant than their leaders to back Swann; 22
percent are voting for Rendell at this point. And only about a quarter of all Pennsylvania voters
say Swann has the right kind of experience to be governor," Richards added.

"Rendell, on the other hand, continues to run up huge margins over his GOP rival in
Philadelphia and its suburbs - the stronghold that swept him into office last time."

Rendell has a 51 - 33 percent approval rate among Pennsylvania voters, virtually
unchanged from December 13. He has a 40 - 24 percent favorability, with 25 percent mixed and
10 percent who haven't heard enough to form an opinion.

Voters say 51 - 30 percent that Rendell broke his campaign promise to lower property
taxes, but only 19 percent say they will vote against him on this issue alone. Rendell bears "a lot"
of the blame for the state's failure to lower property taxes, 22 percent of voters say, while 55
percent blame him "a little," and 16 percent don't blame him at all.

"The big worry for Rendell is property taxes. A majority of voters, including 43 percent of
Democrats, feel he has broken his campaign promise to lower property taxes in his first term,"
Richards said.

From February 8 - 13, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,045 Pennsylvania voters with a
margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. The survey includes 442 Republican voters with a
margin of error of +/- 4.7 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion
surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and the nation as a public
service and for research.

For additional data-www.quinnipiac.edu and quicklinks

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ed Rendell is handling his job as
Governor?